Nancy Jackson

US label Light In The Attic Records has announced a year-long Nancy Sinatra reissue campaign, starting with a new compilation album, Nancy Sinatra: Start Walkin’ 1965-1976, which will be released next month.

Basically a reissue of the 1968 album Nancy and Lee, with some bonus tracks. This has all of the duo's hits ("Summer Wine," "Jackson, " "Sand, " "Lady Bird, " and "Some Velvet Morning"), which easily outclass the filler material. And those hits are about as inspired as middle-of-the-road pop gets, especially the eerie "Some Velvet Morning, " one of the strangest songs ever to crack the Top 40.

Brian Jackson JID008 is the first full album released by the great man in 20 years and it's a testament to his multifaceted talents that while there are moments throughout that hint at his game-changing history and track record, for the most part it reveals a musician whose considerable lessons learned from the past only serve to keep his eyes firmly fixed on the future. It's a masterclass in unbridled and open-minded creativity, no different from what Brian did half a century ago. The ease and comfort with which his ideas integrate with those of musicians a generation younger than him bears this out. To listen to this album is to hear a hot up-and-coming musician who also happens to be a major jazz-funk legend.